Rotary engine



May 29, 1923. 1,456,693

- M. B. KATO I ROTARY ENGINE Patented May 29, 1923.

Let/@993 MICHAEL E. KATO, or DUQUESNE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Application filed January 15, 1920. Serial No. 351,691.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL B; Karo, a citizen of the United-States, residing at Duquesne. in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel rotary engine having a comparatively small number of parts, and in which no springs are employed and in which'there 1s no dead center, the'action of every mov ng part being positively and instantly effected; and to provide a type of engine in which the flow of steam is not diminished by op eration of the engine; and is arrived at by the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichj j Figure l is a top plan of the invention, partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 Fig. 2 looking towardthe base, of the engine,

'Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the rotor; and I Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. i I I Like numerals designate like parts throughout the Views.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I provide a suitable bottom plate or base 1, on which'is mounted an engine casing or jacket 2, which members are provided'with essential bore 3 in which is mounted a con tral shaft 4. shaft 4 is provided with a hub 5 on which is mounted the rotor, 6, which is provided with 3 rotor. blades 7 travelling within the annular steam chest 8. Rotor 6 is also provided with cams 9 of the shape shown in Fig. 4, which travel in a raceway 32 and are positioned in a predetermined relation adjacent rotor blades 7 for the purpose of determining the time of the 45 admission of steam relativeto the position i of the rotor blades 7 Referring to F 2, I provide opening pistons 23 and closing pistons 10. Opening pistons 23 are connected by links 25 and 15 with the respective cross-arms 16 and 12. Cross-arm '12; is mounted on a suitablepivot 13 carried by the stand or bracket 14, and at its other end is connected by link 11 to the closing pistons 10.; The cross-arm 16 which is mounted by pivot 17 carried by standor bracket- 14 is connected by a link adapted to open and close the intake port 21 and thus control the inflow of steam through intake port 21 from inlet pipe 30. I further provide a branch steam passage or at entice.

hy-pass 22, preferably arranged as shown in Fig. 3in connection with intake port 21 at a point in advance of the gate valve 19. Branch steam passage 22qconducts steam from the main intake conduit 21 to chamber '24, where it exerts pressure onpiston 23,

forcing it up and thereby, by means "of link '25, cross arm 16, and link 18 exerting'downward pressure on gate valve 19 to hold pas sage 20 in coincidence with passage 21 until a reverse operation is efiected by contactv of cam 9 withpiston 10. Those pistons 23 are reciprocable in passages 24 and control the intake of steam. I- provide through bottom plate on opposite sides two exhaust ports 31 opening out of steam chamber 8.

Referring to Fig. 2 I provide a suitable oil feed passage 26 in jacket 2 which passage communicates with oil reservoir 27 encir' cling the shaft 4 I further provide an oil passage 28 extending through rotor 6 from oil reservoir 27 to't'he bottom surface of the rotor, which surface is provided with a tangential grove 29 through which oil is supplied by oilpassage 28 to the upper sur face of bottom plate 1 on'which the'rotor 6 rotates. I provide suitable oil housings 34 mounted on engine jacket 2 and enclosing cross-arms 12 and 16 andthe link and piston attached thereto, so that these partsmay operate inan oil bath. Housings 34 are provided with openings 35 covered with caps 36 as illustrated in Fig. 2. j

In operation steam flows into the engine through pipe 30 and intake ports 21 to the steam chamber 8 where its continuous pres sure on the adjacentrotor blades 7 rotates the rotor 6; as rotor 6 revolves its cams 9, alternately raise the gatevalves 19 thus closing the'intake steam port 21 and then release the steam pressure being continuous in the bypass 22 and in the chamber 24, re-

gardless of the action of gate valves 19, said by-pass 22 leading the steam away to come in contact with pistons 23 in'chamber 24.

There are three cams 9, corresponding with the rotor blades 7 of which there are also 3. The number of rotor blades is important in relation to the exhaust ports 81 of which lll) the operation of the engine in the manner described. The gate valves, of which there are tWo, are placed OD-OPPOSltG-SlClGS Of the rotor, or at 180-degrees of a circle, While the roto'r blades are disposed 120 degrees apart,

the object of this arrangementbeingtQ prevent a dead center occurring.

I prefer '.toqprovi de a bottom ,plate of -larger dianieterithan the jacket or; casing 2 to-make provision'for bolt slivliei-eby to ad- J mitQoi its being readil'y boltedto, a suitable reanaaao'a, The bolts Joy which the 'j.acket and bottom plate of the engine are fastened together form ,a support upon which; the

V engine rests- An important feature ,of my invention. is the elimination ofsprings'eccentric E dlscs v and Wearing ,plate attachments from its construction. a The flow Olf' steamv into the steam chamber is contin nous;

"lncomin steam forces a pressureimOS ol- 1 the time against thensifde s of two blades the third part 'ofYtlie total:v .volurnegof the steam chamber, thereby it exhausts from p is, tli opposite. sides act the intake port of two blades hich'are iii contact. with the steam pressure according to, the conj unction pertain ng to the/blade passing neutrality from one to another.-

- I vp "ovide a steam line to andthrough "the slot in jacket or casing in which gate valve; vvo'r'ksf int'o'the' steam chamber; I also' provide a. branch; steam line that branches .ofifat a point advance .ofithe gate valves to vacylinder i fliich holds the.

gatehva'lve open": due to the-j continuous steam pressure under the p ston which opra es ini o' mnc wn i h other p o oni llfiieppos tels deofthelg e alv h ch v i operated bythfe-jcam onthe rotor, which closes the gate valve ,The power of locomotion or dniving power multiplies lts'elf' as many times the Volume pressure of steam as there are number of V gatevalves and inlets to the. steam chamberin proportion tothe blades-,thatis, two

' inlets and two gate valves tothree blades,

or, 't 'hree"inlets and three gate valves to four blades, there be ngalways one more bladethan there are inlet and gate' valves,

7 Whereby'there is onlyv oneblade that is dead and not fo rced by steam."

7 What I claim is L1. -The,combination in. a rotary engine having 'op'posite exhaust pasfsages and opofsite intake Y assa es of an engine "acket .v N v a L: h Ting ,an annular steam chamber, a center shaft, a' rotor affixeclto the; center" shaft vithin'the enginejacket, said rotor having a plurality of equally spaced .radiating blades,'the number oi said rotor blades being'oine in excess of the number of exhaust aorts r tate valves 'arran ed ,to] ,o 3611 and I close the intake passage at pre-deterniined times, branch steam passages opening out a of the intake passages, andpistons operated by the-steamffrom Said branch passages,

means-operatively connecting the last named passages with the gate valves, and cams on the rotor adapted toengage elements operatively connected With the gate valves to regulate the intake :and exhaust in accordance with predetermined conditions, sub-'- sta ntially as described.

\vithinthe ,enginejacket,.saidrotor having a plurality of equally spaced radiating blades, gate valves arranged to openf'fand close the intake passage atlpnedet'ermined t ime's,'-branch steam passages opening out 7 p 'of the intake passages, reciprocating valve while the third blade is. neutral, hencewthe [third [blade beingn-eutral it neutralizes only pistons operating Within 1thefsteani'fp assa'g'es and adapted toopen and close the ,po.r,t s', cam-controlled pistons 'ineonjiuiction with the gate valves, means operativelyroom nectingthe respectivepi'stons nan iel'd, .andja plurality of'cams' onthe rotor arrangedtb open the gate valves and allow steam to impinge againstthe rotor blades at predete mined times. 1

3. The combination'in a rotary," engine 'mea-ns'aalso being arranged to operate the valve pistons, cam meansiarra'nged predetermined" relation ,to the rotorgbla est!)- open the 'gat'e valveslatpre'determined times to supply continuous steam pressure inone direction Within the steamfohamher acting on the rotorblad'es, saidlgate valves ha'v;

ingptheir' outer ends arranged to act as an abutment in the steam. chamber when the gate valves-open the steain portsl,"

4. The combination inf'a rotary engine having exhaustflpassages and lint'akef pas sages, of an engine jacket 'havin "an an.- nular steam chamber, a center sha' t, a rotor aflixe'd tothe center shaft Within the engine jacket, saidjrotor havinga plurality of spaced radiating blades, the number or said rotor bladesbeing one inexleess of'the number of exhaust ports, valve means .ar

iso

ranged to open and close the intake passages at predetermined times, branch steam passages opening out of the intake passages, pistons operated by the steam from' said branch passages, means operatively connecting the last named pistons with the aforesaid valve means controlling the intake passages, oil housings enclosing the valves and valve actuating means, and cam means on the rotor operatively' connected with the valve means and arranged to regulate the intake and exhaust in accordance with predetermined conditions, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination in a rotary engine having exhaust passages and intake passages, and having an annular steam chamber, of arotor, said rotor having radiating blades, gate valves arranged to open and close the intake passage at predetermined times, branch steam passages opening out of and in communication With the intake passages, pistons operated by steam from said branch passages, means operatively connecting the last named pistons With the gate valves, and cams on the rotor adapted to actuate the gate valves to regulate the intake and exhaust in accordance With predetermined conditions.

MICHAEL B. KATO. 

